Total Drama: Search Party
by ElliarraRose
Summary: The sixth season of Total Drama is finally here with all new contestants, challenges, and rules! Who will be eliminated first? Who will win the whole thing? And will anyone be brutally maimed? Find out all this and more on Total...Drama...Search Party!


Total Drama: Search Party

Chapter 1: Brand New Holmes

A dark and mysterious island jutted from the water in the middle of nowhere. High mountains flanked the edges on one side and beaches adorned the other. The east side held a rickety wooden dock and a man with dark hair and a wicked grin.

"Welcome to the newest installment of _Total Drama!" _he greeted, directing his attention to the multitude of cameras that surrounded him. "We're coming at you with season six of the best reality show ever and fourteen _all new_ contestants, new challenges, and a ton of drama!" He motioned behind him as the camera panned to the large island around him. "As you can see, we've got an entirely new location this season, complete with cruddy cabins, vicious animals, and cash hidden _everywhere_. This is Total...Drama...Search Party!"

The camera returned to focus on Chris's face, which sported its usual chiseled grin. "This season we're going to mix things up a little. There's gonna be some new rules and _a lot_ of room for lying, cheating, and backstabbing. But first, let's meet our new contestants!"

The usual luxurious boat that dropped the campers off held fourteen fresh faces. Among them was a pair of girls curled up on opposite sides of the top deck, one on a laptop and the other with her nose in a book. A dark-haired boy juggled pineapples for a pair of blondes, his gapped grin stretching his cheeks. Near the front of the boat, a short blonde boy tried to lift the wig of an Izzy look-alike, only to get his hand viciously smacked away. Four guys with varying degrees of disinterest and annoyance were forced to listen as a small, pigtailed girl sobbed out some incoherent words. And on the farthest end of the boat, a plump girl with wild white hair and a Christmas sweater had cornered a boy in dark clothes against the railing, talking excitedly to him and showing him all of the decorations spilling over her arms.

Chris watched as the boat approached the dock and then smiled mischievously. "Why don't we put a little jump in their step?" Chris said as his trusty assistant, Chef, approached with a remote. He handed it over to Chris, who happily pushed the only button available, launching the boat's decks forward like a catapult and sending the new contestants hurtling toward the beach.

One by one, the campers landed hard in the sand. Their groans-and the pigtailed girl's ever-present sobs-filled the air as they found their way to their feet. The kids lined up on the shore, their backs to the lake they were just flung out of, and Chris joined them in the sand.

"Welcome campers! How was your flight?" Chris greeted, laughing at his own joke.

"I thought you were over entrance gimmicks," the black-clad boy, Thrasher, mumbled, but Chris responded with a gleeful, "Nope!"

"I hope you all came prepared because this season of _Total Drama_ is totally new and sure to bring in tons of ratings! This time, the money is already up for grabs, you just have to find it. Hidden all over the island are stacks of cash and the only way to win it is to take it to the end with you. So let's get started already! Take your stuff to your cabins and meet me back here ASAP." Chris pointed up the beach, but no one moved. "Get going already!"

The teens were startled into action. They ran toward the cabins, toting anything that hadn't been drowned when it was flung off the boat. Once they arrived, they found two creaky, old cabins with poorly painted female and male symbols on the doors.

Everyone quickly poured into their respective cabins and began unpacking and trying out their new beds. Ashleigh, while fluffing her curly locks, said, "Ugh, we have to live here? I should have known this show couldn't afford anything worth my time."

The girl dressed as Izzy, Cullen, suddenly shot up in her bed, the blanket she'd burrowed under flying off of her. "I found a rat in my bed!" she shouted excitedly, holding out her cupped hands to show everyone the seething animal.

Terra squealed and curled up in her bed. Tears began pouring from her eyes. "Get it out! Get it out!" she demanded.

"I'll take care of it!" Brittany said, grabbing a belt from her suitcase and cracking it like a whip. A malevolent grin stretched across her face, showing the gap between her front teeth, and she lunged at it. Cullen dove out of the way, covering the creature and holding it close to her chest.

"Is this _Total Drama, _or did I just walk into a daycare?" snarked Surrey. She was lying on her bed, head hung upside down over the side as she boredly watched the chase.

"Don't hurt it!" insisted Janelle as she watched nervously from the bunk under Surrey.

Cullen and Terra filled the cabin with screeches and shouts. The cabin door burst open and Archer and Thrasher ran in, stopping dead as they observed the scene with the other boys trying to see over them from outside. "Is anyone crying yet? Did I miss it?" Thrasher asked excitedly.

Cullen pushed past the herd of boys and tossed the rat outside, shouting, "Be free! Get outta here!" The rat hit the ground hard, but scurried away as quickly as it could.

Brittany began to chase after it, brandishing her belt, but stopped between the two cabins and watched the rat disappear into the forest. "And stay out, ya varmint!"

Breathing heavily, the two girls came back into the cabin, which was now filled with all of the campers. As Brittany was packing away her weapon, Archer hovered behind her. "That was pretty cool. Reminds me of the time I chased a whole pack of rats out of my house."

"I'm used to chasing them out by the hundreds," Brittany explained with a dismissive wave of her hand. "They take shelter in our barn every winter."

* * *

><p><em>Confessional:<em>

"I'm living with a bunch of animals," growled Ashleigh as she gripped at the confessional seat tightly. She sat on a concrete slab, held up by a pair of chains and attached to the wall. To her right was a wall of metal bars, completing the jail cell that made up the confessional this season.

* * *

><p>"<em>H-Hundreds<em> of rats?" Terra sniveled, her eyes wide with horror. She clamped onto her covers like a lifeline.

"That just means you have a really good hunting cat back at your home, right?" Janelle piped up, enthusiastic about the thought.

Brittany nodded. "Sure do. He's a great-"

"Ladies, I hate to interrupt your riveting conversation, but I believe Chris told us to meet him back at the beach once we found our cabins." Everyone turned their attention to Cain, who stood closest to the door with his hands folded behind his back and shoulders squared, giving him an authoritative air.

"Oh my gumdrops, he's right! I remember!" shouted Noel, finally turning away from the decorations that she was hanging across her bed post. The whole bunk was completely decked out in sparkly tinsel, wreaths, and ornaments. She hopped up and excitedly ran to the door, turning around quickly to say, "What are we waiting for? Let's hop to it!" and then bolting out the door with a wide grin on her face.

The others ran out after her, though not nearly as happy as the plump girl had been. They continued to laugh and chat as they hurried out, not yet letting the competition get to them.

"That peppy one is going to be a handful," said Ashleigh, who refused to run anywhere in her massive heels.

"Certainly, but it wouldn't be wise of a lady like yourself to waste her own energy taking care of such a nuisance." Cain's voice startled her, but she turned to find a sly grin on his face. He did have a point, after all.

She returned the smile. "Well, who's going to put forth the energy for me?" she crooned.

* * *

><p><em>Confessional:<em>

"I'd like to go on record here to say that I mean everything I say to Miss Ashleigh." Cain stared pointedly at the camera, one leg crossed over the other and his hands folded in his lap. It was as if he was being interviewed. "After all, she and I seem to have very similar ideas."

* * *

><p>Once the campers had assembled on the beach in front of a reasonably irritated Chris, they quieted down and awaited instruction.<p>

"Your first challenge should get you familiar with the island," Chris explained as Chef handed each contestant a small map. "You each have a map that will lead you to your object and a secret base. That base will be the meeting point for your team and where all of your clues are stored."

"Clues for what?" Janelle asked, sheepishly raising her hand to grab Chris's attention.

"I was getting to that," he snapped. "Every time your team wins a challenge this season, you'll get a clue. Those clues will help you find all of the different stashes of money on the island. If you _lose_ a challenge, you'll be sending someone from your team home. So I'd advise you to win."

Terra waved her hand in the air. "Excuse me, yeah, I don't know how to read this!" she said, holding up her map.

"Then you better learn fast because your first challenge starts NOW!" Chris pulled an air horn from behind his back and pushed down on the button, startling the kids into action. They all scurried off into the forest blindly, unsure of what they were getting themselves into.

* * *

><p><em>Confessional:<em>

Cullen sat smugly leaned against the cement wall of the cell, her Izzy facade dropped for the moment. "I finished enough costumes for the whole season before I came here." She sat up, jabbing a finger into the air dramatically. "I've also researched all of the winning and losing techniques of everyone I plan to play, which is how I'm going to rock the competition!"

* * *

><p>Staring up at the tree angrily, Cullen let out a heavy sigh. For the third time, she rushed at the trunk, gripping into it with all her might. For a few seconds, she clung there, then her grip was lost once again and she fell to the ground. She sat up, pushing curly orange hair from her eyes.<p>

"Having trouble figuring out how trees work?" laughed Thrasher, scaring Cullen.

She shot him a glare, but quickly retracted back into her character. She stood up and turned back toward the tree, hands on her hips. "Of course not! I'll have this tree cooperating in no time!"

"Whatever you say," Thrasher said, rolling his eyes. As he left, his malicious laughter could be heard dissipating into the trees.

"'_Whatever you say,'"_ she mocked under her breath. Carefully, Cullen dug her nails into the bark of the tree and began trying to scale the tree once again. As she hoisted herself up, she continued muttering to herself. "_'Having trouble figuring out how trees work?'_ Of course I know how trees work, you little-"

"Want some help?"

With a yelp, Cullen fell out of the tree once again, landing hard on her back, though having only fallen from a few feet up. Defeated, she looked up at the source of the voice, finding a horrified expression on Donny's face.

"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" he sputtered quickly, helping her out of the dirt.

Cullen waved her hand dismissively and began to brush dirt from her back. "I totally knew you were there. I was just practicing tree-diving! It's fun." Hitting a sore spot, she grimaced, but quickly tried to turn it into a grin.

"Of course," Donny nodded. "Is that where your map leads?" he asked, pointing up the tree. When Cullen nodded, he lit up. "Why don't you let me grab it for you? I'll be there and back in a second."

Before Cullen could protest and demand that Izzy would never want him to do such a thing, he was already halfway up the huge tree. With the agility of a squirrel, Donny slipped through branches and grabbed the object perched on one of the branches. He swiftly slid back down and handed it to Cullen, his gap-toothed grin wide and proud.

"Wow, you're like a squirrel!" Cullen said, gratefully taking the object. "You and I should work together, we'd be the best team _ever_!"

Terra's screams echoed across the island once again. She shimmied out from under the cabin and batted at her hair and clothes. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, whining, "First rats, then spiders? This place is trying to kill me!"

Brittany dashed around the corner of the cabin, having heard the screams from the forest. "What happened? You scream louder than a swine at the slaughter!"

"A spider got in my _hair!"_ Terra cried. Her pigtails were wild and coming out of their hair ties, which only distressed Terra even more. "There's dirt on my clothes and everything is horrible!"

"Sounds like a real drag," Brittany muttered, rolling her eyes. Dropping to her knees, Brittany looked under the cabin that Terra had just escaped. She scanned the dark before sighing and scooted into the crevice. Terra watched as Brittany slowly disappeared under the building and then quickly shimmied back out, hair a mess and object in hand.

Terra lit up. "Wow, thanks! You're a real life saver!" she said, taking the object. Brittany nodded disinterestedly as she pulled out her map, scoping out where she was supposed to be to find her own object. Terra took this as an invitation to keep talking and followed as Brittany started to leave. "It's so weird that you and I can get along, you know? I mean, you're so-"

The scowl Brittany shot her prompted Terra to shut her trap before she said something she'd regret. "If you're gonna tag along, you could at least control your yapper," said Brittany.

For a moment, Terra stopped, head cocked in confusion. "My _what?"_ she said, but Brittany hadn't waited for her. The country girl was already a few feet away and Terra had to jog to catch up. Judging by Brittany's tense silence, terra played it safe and kept quiet.

* * *

><p><em>Confessional:<em>

"I don't know what's got Brittany all upset," Terra pouted, pulling at her still-messy pigtails. "I mean, we _just_ became friends. It's like she doesn't even _want_ to hang out with me." Tears began to trickle down Terra's face like a dripping faucet. "But that's ridiculous, right? Who wouldn't want to hang out with me?"

* * *

><p>"Can you hurry up?" Surrey groaned. She twirled her object-a keychain-on her finger, watching Janelle squeeze herself into a small opening at the base of a tree. "I don't have all day, you know."<p>

"Well _pardon me,_ I didn't realize I'd need to lose a few pounds so I could fit inside some poor animals home!" Janelle called. Her voice was muffled and echoed from inside the tiny cavern, but her irritation still managed to come through.

Surrey sighed, but didn't retort. For a few moments, the forest was silent. Suddenly, Janelle's feet began frantically scraping against the ground, like she was trying to run while lying on her stomach. Soon after, her shouts rang out, "Surrey! Pull me out, pull me out, pull me out!"

Jumping into action, the redhead grabbed onto Janelle's writhing legs and began pulling. Janelle's demands for her to pull faster were all she could hear as she used all her strength. Finally, the blonde came loose, sending the two flying backwards into a tree behind them. Scrambling into a sitting position, Janelle pinned Surrey behind her.

"What happened/" Surrey asked, trying to catch her breath.

"It _hissed_ at me!" Janelle retorted, almost offended, as if it was a perfectly acceptable explanation. "I don't know what it was-maybe a rat or a squirrel or a really small bear, but it _hissed."_

"Cute," Surrey said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "Did you at least get your object."

Janelle held up the ring, letting the keys jingle with a shake. "I don't understand why it hissed at me! Animals love me, you know. I've never met one that didn't-I mean, until now. It must a vicious, horrible creature!"

When the animal emerged from its home, Surrey stifled a laugh. "Or a bunny," she snickered, pointing to the ball of fluff. "Don't tell me _that's_ what you're wetting your pants over."

Though offended, Janelle ignored the comment as she tried to push herself behind Surrey. The braver girl snorted in laughter, but was cut short by the vicious roar of the bunny in front of them. The two went wide-eyed, every possible joke going out the window along with Surrey's courage.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Janelle cried. "Why doesn't it like me?"

Surrey pulled Janelle to her feet and lead the blonde away from the animal, saying as she ran, "Come on, Dr. Doolittle, no time to hang around and ask!"

* * *

><p><em>Confessional:<em>

"I figured Chris got rid of all the weird mutant animals!" Surrey said. Her usual deadpan and uncaring posture was replaced with tension and fear. "That rabbit was _not_ normal!"

* * *

><p>As soon as there was a thin line of trees between the two girls and the rabbit, they looked back to make sure they weren't being followed. "I don't see it!" Janelle noted as she struggled to maintain speed with Surrey.<p>

A growl struck fear back into them and the two sped up. "Apparently that doesn't mean anything!" Surrey responded.

Suddenly, the pair crashed into two other campers, knocking all four into the dirt. Janelle and Surrey scrambled to their feet, fear still all over their faces. Slowly, the other two reached their feet. "Wow, sorry about that," Donny said, rubbing his head.

"Don't worry about it," Surrey said distractedly, looking back over her shoulder. "Look, we really gotta get outta here."

"The competition isn't _that_ serious!" Cullen said with a laugh.

Behind them, bushes rustled. Surrey and Janelle let out horrified screams, catching Cullen and Donny off guard. When the rabbit broke through the brush, it jumped at the teens and clawed at their faces and clothes. Soon, all four were screaming and trying to escape, but the rabbit was swift and agile.

After a while, the rabbit grew tired of its victims and hopped away. The four were left, lying on the ground in a heap, all scratched and breathing hard. Slowly, they sat up and inspected themselves. Their clothes were tattered and scratches adorned every visible patch of skin.

"That thing destroyed our maps!" Cullen said, pulling the indistinguishable piece of paper from the ground. Donny, Janelle, and Surrey collected the scraps of their maps from where they were strewn about the ground, desperately trying to put them back together.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Surrey groaned. She threw herself back on the ground and covered her eyes with her hands. "Someone finish me off."

"Oh, calm down, we'll figure something out," Janelle huffed, but as she said it, she abandoned her scraps of map and put her head in her hands.

Trying to lighten the mood with her character, Cullen excitedly said, "Oh, oh, I know! I'll get a high vantage point and tell you where the bases are, duh!"

Donny shook his head rapidly, trying to silently remind Cullen that she couldn't, in fact, climb trees and that would be a horribly embarrassing idea. She slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her from saying anything else.

"Like it would help," said Surrey. "Chris probably hid them. They are _secret_ bases, after all." Donny and Cullen both let out sighs of relief.

After another moment of silence passed, Janelle lit up. "But we _could_ follow someone who has a map! They'll lead us straight to the bases for sure!"

* * *

><p><em>Confessional:<em>

"I have to stop playing characters that I can't back up," Cullen muttered. Her olive cheeks were tinted red with embarrassment as she twirled a lock of orange hair.

* * *

><p>"Now how are we supposed to get that?" Noel huffed, hands on her hips. She turned to Murray, hoping he had some idea, but he merely stared up at the object blankly. Scrunching her face in thought, she turned her attention back to the object in the tree as well.<p>

"And here we see the island's local losers doing what they do best: _nothing._" Ashleigh's snobby laugh rang from behind them, causing both Noel and Murray to face her. Cain stood beside her, straightening the cuffs of his sleeves. The buxom blonde twirled her object-a magnifying glass-in her hand with expertise, while Cain's object-a key ring-was hooked into his belt loop.

For a moment, Noel's face fell, as though she might cry at the insult. Her mood brightened in a second, choosing to ignore it instead. "Can you guys help us get that thing up there?" asked the innocent girl. "Neither of us is very good at climbing trees."

"I wouldn't even climb to get my _own_ object," Ashleigh scoffed. "There's no way I'm helping either of you. Besides, Cain and I have a finish line to get to."

The dark-haired boy swiftly unfolded his map without a word. With a final glare, Ashleigh followed after Cain and went back into the forest, leaving behind the other two campers. "Well that wasn't very nice of them," Noel noted before turning back to the tree. "We'll just have to get it down some other way."

After another bout of thought, Noel lit up. She pulled a length of tinsel from her sweater and tied one end into a loop. Murray stared curiously, watching as the girl cheerily constructed a shiny lasso and began trying to swing it up into the tree. Her aim was poor and the object didn't seem to be coming down anytime soon, but Murray let her continue to try and listened as she muttered that she "almost had it that time" and "only need one more shot."

"That's not gonna get you very far." Noel almost lost her footing upon hearing the voice from behind her, but Murray pulled her back up by the back of her sweater. The two turned again to find Brittany and Terra, both with their objects in hand and presumably heading to the same place Ashleigh and Cain had been going.

"It's the only plan we had," Noel said with a disappointed shrug.

"It's a fine one if you know how to use it," Brittany said with a light laugh. "Which you clearly _do not._ Let me have a whack at it, I'll have that thing down in no time."

Happily, Noel handed over the tinsel. She, Terra, and Murray watched in great anticipation as Brittany wound up the lasso. She let the rope fly and it seemed to be a perfect shot. As the lasso tried to snatch the object, a hand reached down from the tree's foliage and beat it to the punch. The loop snapped shut, catching nothing but air and landed back at Brittany's feet, totally empty.

Hopping out of the tree, Archer laughed at Brittany's stunned expression. "Whoops, sorry, is this yours?" He held out the magnifying glass for her, but Noel hopped up and took it instead.

"Wow, thanks, pudding cup! You really helped us out!" Noel said, giving Archer a short hug and skipping back to Murray to show it off.

"I almost had it," Brittany pointed out, winding up the tinsel and handing it back to Noel.

"Oh, of course, I really appreciate it, too!" Noel said. "You two are super-duper, mega helps!" She turned back to Murray with the same excitement, saying, "Come on, Murray-Flurry, let's go find that base!"

Once Noel and Murray had gone on their way, Brittany put her hands on her hips. "Well, I guess our job is done here, let's get going, Terra."

"Wait, I'll head out with you guys. I figure we're all heading to the same place, right?" said Archer with a smile.

Terra immediately melted at the sight. "That sounds like a great idea," she swooned. "The more the merrier and all that, right?"

The blonde girl scowled, but didn't protest. The troop headed off into the forest, Archer leading the way with map in hand.

* * *

><p><em>Confessional:<em>

"I've had my fill of this macho, good-at-everything, Archer guy," Brittany said. "He just reminds me of my three older brothers: arrogant. I won't put up with it. I'll show him whose boss."

* * *

><p>Locke scaled a large boulder, magnifying glass in hand and trying to find an easy way down. As he neared one of the edges to see how steep it was, he heard someone talking-Thrasher's voice.<p>

"And after I take over the world, I'll run it with a horrific, but fair justice system that makes all who deserve it suffer!" He took a break from his monologue to laugh evilly.

Carefully, Locke scoped out the scene without getting spotted. Thrasher had his back to the rock that Locke hid himself on and was talking to Parker, who was trapped by a crudely made net trap. With a roll of his eyes, Locke descended the boulder.

"_Then_, I'll-HEY!" Thrasher was fluidly wrapped up in his own net trap by Locke, freeing Parker in the process. "I was in the middle of something! How did you even-"

"Next time, you should keep your monologuing to a minimum. Less room for error if you do it that way." Locke waved a hand in Parker's direction, signaling for him to make a run for it. Parker shrugged and stood, ambling off in a random direction without any regard to his map.

"So what, you're like the hero to my evil mastermind?" Thrasher asked, admiring the ropes he was tangled into. "I mean, this is pretty impressive, but I don't really appreciate people getting in my way."

"Nah, I'm just ensuring that my team wins and yours doesn't."

"You don't even know which teams are which! You could be ruining your chances with this plan."

Locke rolled his eyes again. "Please, I can see your key ring from a mile away. Parker and I have matching objects-magnifying glasses. You have a key ring. There's no way Chris is doing that unintentionally."

Thrasher thought for a moment and then nodded in understanding. "Alright, fair enough." Locke began walking off, but the redhead wasn't done. "Wait, you and I could join forces! Be double agents for each other!"

"I don't think so," Locke said without turning around.

"If only you knew the power of the Dark Side!" Thrasher called after him, his voice deeper than usual to accommodate the quote. Back in his normal voice, he said, "Come on, dude!" But Locke was gone and Thrasher was stuck to wiggle his way out of the trap.

* * *

><p><em>Confessional:<em>  
>"No respect!" Thrasher shouted, throwing strands of destroyed rope to the ground. "He could be a great villain, but he has <em>no<em> respect for the craft! How am I supposed to work with these people? The meanest person on this island is _Ashleigh_, and she's your standard evil cheerleader chick." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I guess it's up to me to raise hell on this stupid island."

* * *

><p>Following behind Ashleigh and Cain was probably the easiest thing the four lost campers could have done. Neither was very observant of their surroundings and if the group ever got too far behind, Ashleigh's ever-present complaining was loud enough that they could find their way back on track with ease.<p>

They were the first to find the bases with their leaders' help. Both buildings were blatantly unhidden with more makeshift shapes painted on the doors, similar to the cabins. This time, one door was adorned with a black magnifying glass and the other with a red detective hat.

"None of us have hats or magnifying glasses," pointed out Janelle, examining the hat shape. "Do you think there's a third base or something?"

"I bet this one is ours," said Cullen. "Ashleigh's got a magnifying glass. It was probably just easier for Chris to get his hands on a bunch of fake key rings than a ton of hats."

With shrugs and nods, the other three seemed to agree that Surrey had a point. It seemed like they'd successfully reached the finish line, so they all got comfortable in front of their base. Ashleigh waited alone on the other side of the clearing, looking vaguely irritated at nothing in particular. Surrey leaned over with a smirk, saying to Cain, "So Ashleigh, huh? That's what you're into?"

Cain sighed dejectedly, running a hand over his hair to flatten it back out. "We thought that two heads would be better than one. Now we're on opposite teams, so we'll be forced against each other."

"Don't worry, Romeo, no one's aching to steal her from you," Surrey snarked. Cain didn't respond, merely rubbing his temples, eyes closed like he was in pain.

* * *

><p><em>Confessional:<em>

"I agreed to work with Miss Ashleigh, yes, but that was before I was aware of her _opinionated_ personality." Cain put a hand to his temple, fighting off another headache. "And if I have to continue to do menial labor for her, I'm going to start outsourcing to someone else."

* * *

><p>Campers showed up one after the other and found their bases. Terra was distraught to find that both Brittany and Archer were on the other team and that she was stuck all alone. Noel cheerfully greeted her team and tried to insert herself into the the competition as well, before she was forced to return by an irritated Ashleigh. Despite Ashleigh's insistence, Noel tried to continue making friends until Murray physically pulled her back to the other side. Locke showed up out of nowhere, dropping into the midst of his team without a word and scaring everyone. There were only two more campers left to show up when Chris arrived, speeding in on his red ATV.<p>

He looked at his watch impatiently, but the lost campers didn't seem to be on their way. "If they hold up the show much longer, we're leaving them behind!" Chris insisted, getting angrier as time progressed.

"Who's missing?" Donny asked, trying to count everyone off. It made it difficult since not everyone was acquainted.

"One's the guy with the beanie. Parker, I think. And that redheaded guy," Janelle said. She turned to her other teammates. "What was his name? Crasher?"

"It's _Thrasher!_" he called as he dashed toward the finish. He smirked devilishly at Locke as he passed the team's base and was welcomed to his own base with victory cries.

Plucking a strand of rope off of Thrasher's shirt, Surrey said, "What happened? Get attacked by a psycho with a lasso?"

"_Actually_, I was sabotaged by-"

"We have our winners!" Chris cried, blowing his air horn. "And our teams! On the right, we have the Savage Sleuths: Cain, Janelle, Thrasher, Surrey, Donny, Terra, and Cullen. On the left, the Deadly Detectives: Noel, Brittany, Archer, Locke, Murray, and Ashleigh. Parker _would_ be on your team, if he ever gets here, that is."

The Detectives grumbled in irritation, glaring at the forest where their last teammate was assumed to be. "If he ever gets back, he's a dead man," Ashleigh snarled, to which the rest of the team readily agreed.

"Alright, Sleuths, looks like you get the first clue!" Chris tossed an envelope over to the newly victorious team. "And it looks like the Detectives are sending someone home tonight. Since you guys took so long to get here, you only have a little while to make your decision, so choose wisely."

* * *

><p><em>Confessional:<em>

"Are we actually going to pretend we _don't_ know who's going home?" Brittany asked the camera. "Honestly, I've never seen an easier decision in my life."

* * *

><p>As the Detectives were awaiting being called to the elimination ceremony, they sat on the steps of the girl's cabin. Finally, Parker emerged from the forest, calmly joining the group as if nothing was wrong. He was met with relentless glares, making him a little more unsettled. "What's up, guys? Hey, does anyone know what team I'm on? I kinda missed that part."<p>

"Yeah, we know," snapped Ashleigh. "Don't worry about it, though. It won't matter much longer anyway."

The announcement for the Deadly Detectives to meet at the campfire came over the PA system and the team stalked off, glaring at Parker as they passed him. He watched blankly, still not entirely getting what was going on. He noticed that the others had come out to watch the spectacle of the losers marching to their punishment.

"You better get going, _loser_," called Thrasher. He laughed viciously until Surrey elbowed him in the side.

"Good luck, Parker!" Janelle called as consolation. He offered a smile and walked off, still keeping his chill demeanor.

"Welcome, campers, to the first elimination ceremony of the season. Some of you fought hard. Some of you thought on your feet. Some of you put forth more effort today than you have in your entire lives. And you're all still losers!" Chris punctuated the statement with a grin.

Holding up a handful of small, plastic cards, the host continued his speech. "This season, each safe camper will receive an ID card. If you do not receive an ID card, you will be sent home via the Plane of Shame." The campers directed their attention toward the rickety biplane that Chris was pointing toward. Chef awaited them in the cockpit and the contestants shuddered as part of a duct-taped wing fell off.

There was no time to question the safety and legality as Chris began calling out names. "Locke and Archer, you're safe." He handed each an ID, complete with their names and pictures." "Noel and Murray," Chris called, handing off their IDs as well. "And Brittany." Once the bandana-clad girl had received her card, Chris smirked at the two remaining players.

Ashleigh glared at her team, already mentally putting them onto her hit-list. Parker seemed more placid, though his vision was glazed over and he didn't seem to be paying attention at all. "Ashleigh, Parker, I only have one more ID left to hand out." He held up the card, cleverly pointing it away from the contestants' view so they couldn't ruin the suspense. "The first camper voted out on Total Drama: Search Party...is..." Chris drew out the silence, the grin on his face only widening. "...Parker."

Parker stood as Chris handed off the last ID to Ashleigh and he turned to say goodbye. "It was cool being here, man," he said to everyone, his hands buried in his pockets as he rocked back and forth on his heels. There was a moment of silence, then Parker nodded and contentedly followed Chris to the awaiting biplane and was soon on his way off the island. Whether he'd make it to the destination was an entirely different question.

Chris turned to the cameras, ready to sign out the show. "With Parker gone, will the Deadly Detectives start winning competitions? Or will the Savage Sleuths dominate the game? And who will go home next in that death trap of a plane? Tune in next time for Total Drama: Search Party!"

"See, it looks much better this way," Brittany said, holding up a mirror so Terra could see her work. She was in the process of turning Terra's pigtails into a long, brown braid. At first, Terra had been reluctant, but when she saw the results, she lit up.

"You're right, Britt," she said, admiring her reflection. "This is so cute. You should let me do your hair next."

Ashleigh watched from her bunk as the two girls happily admired the others hair. It made her feel sick to her stomach watching the girls get along.

* * *

><p><em>Confessional:<em>

"Okay, so my next project is destroying the friendship between Brittany and Terra," Ashleigh said, mostly to herself. "We can't have them getting along, they could be a threat." She crossed her arms and huffed, leaning back against the concrete wall. "I guess I'll have to do a little acting then."

* * *

><p><strong>Note:<strong> For the full experience, follow searchparty-td on tumblr.


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